Chapter 26
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The Male and Female Leads Broke Up - Episode 26
"Big brother, where have you been? Sniff."
"I missed you so much!"
"Didn't you miss us?"
"Big brother...."
I stepped back and watched their joyful reunion unfold for a moment.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
Lian apologized to the children.
"But big brother, why have you grown so much?"
"Right, we almost didn't recognize you."
"Big brother, big brother. Are you going to live with us now?"
"Big brother... you're going to live with us, right?"
Every time Lian spoke, each child chimed in with their own words, creating a delightful chaos.
But Lian met each child's eyes one by one and answered them all.
'He must have missed them terribly.'
And yet Lian had chosen to follow me instead, leaving behind the children he missed so dearly.
The thought filled me with warmth and a resolve to treat him even better.
"I'm sorry. I can't live here with you all."
"Why?"
"Big brother, do you not like us?"
"Can't you play with us anymore?"
Ah, the children's reaction was exactly what I had anticipated.
This must be why Lian had wanted to see them from a distance and leave....
"I'm sorry. But I promise to visit you often whenever I have time."
"No. Let's live together."
"I want to live with big brother too...."
"You all stop that. You're making it harder for big brother."
The child who had first recognized Lian scolded the other three to stop.
"But...."
"Big brother...."
Realizing Lian's distress, the children's words gradually dwindled.
Uncertain of what to do, they began to watch his expression carefully.
Seeing them like this, a wave of pity and sorrow washed over me.
So instead of remaining silent, I stepped forward among the children and spoke.
"Listen, you all. Number Five here became a knight, you know? Do you know what a knight is?"
"Yes. I understand."
"I understand."
"But becoming a Knight Order member means there's really a lot of training. You train when you wake up in the morning, you train at lunch, and you have to keep training until bedtime."
I tried to explain things carefully, bending down to meet the children at eye level.
"Is it really that hard to become a Knight Order member?"
"Yes. That's how you become an impressive and excellent Knight Order member."
"Wow, Number Five really has it tough."
"Big brother is amazing."
"And to become a Knight Order member, you have to live somewhere other than here. That's why Number Five can't stay here with us."
Perhaps because of the environment they'd grown up in, the children were quick-witted and sharp.
They understood what I was saying immediately and were even exchanging meaningful glances with each other.
"Will you really come visit often...?"
"Big brother, promise you'll come see us often."
Then, shifting their approach, they were trying to extract a promise from Lian.
"I'll come often. I promise."
Lian bent at the waist to meet the eyes of children who were each a head shorter than him as he answered.
"You promised!"
The dark-haired child who had been glistening with tears this whole time was deliberately opening and closing their eyes wide.
It was a struggle not to cry anymore.
"Yes. I understand."
I smiled with relief.
I was grateful that the children could resolve this without suffering any deep wounds.
A moment later, the children gathered around Lian and began bombarding him with questions.
Children were children, after all.
The atmosphere had completely changed, as if they'd already forgotten what happened moments ago.
The children laughed and chattered away noisily.
And I simply watched over them from the side.
"Oh right! Big brother, we got names!"
"Names?"
"Yes. I'm not Number Three anymore—I'm Lucy, Lucy!"
It was a name that suited the cute and lovely-looking child perfectly.
"Me too! I got a name too!"
"Me too!"
Each of the children boasted their new names to Lian.
Feeling the excitement of the children who now had names instead of numbers, I couldn't help but smile.
"So let me get this straight. Lucy, Noah, Adrian, and Dominic, right?"
I joined in on their conversation since I had nothing better to do.
"Yes. That's right!"
"And big brother Number Five got a name too."
"Really? What is it?"
"Lian, that's Lian."
"Wow, what a beautiful name."
"Right? So shall we introduce ourselves again?"
The children stared at me with bewildered expressions at my suggestion to reintroduce ourselves despite having known each other for quite some time.
"Hello? I'm Belita. It's nice to meet you."
I extended my hand toward the children.
Seeing them hesitate about what to do, I grasped Lian's hand and explained to them once more.
"When you meet someone for the first time, you introduce yourself like this and shake hands. So, who wants to go first?"
"Me, me! I want to go first!"
"I want to too!"
"I'm Lucy."
Lucy took my hand first.
"I'm Adrian."
The sharp-eyed boy with blue tousled hair who had recognized Lian first came forward and shook my hand next.
"I'm Noah! Noah!"
Then I shook hands with the gentle boy with black hair who had been sniffling and speaking softly the whole time.
"I'm... Dominic."
Finally, the blonde boy who had been unusually quiet compared to the others stammered out his name.
The child seemed shy and didn't even think to take my hand.
So I reached out and grasped his small hand first.
"Nice to meet you, Dominic. Now, shall we try with Lian?"
At my words, Lian and the children introduced themselves to each other and exchanged greetings.
Watching them, I couldn't hide the warmth blossoming in my chest.
These children had been given only numbers as their identities.
But now they had names.
Knowing what that truly meant, I felt a surge of emotion.
"Sister! Sister, does that mean big brother is a knight protecting you?"
Adrian asked me.
"Yes, that's right. He's a knight protecting me."
"Wow, that's so cool! I want to be a knight too! I want to protect you too, sister!"
His words were so adorable that I gently stroked Adrian's head.
"If you eat well and sleep well and grow as tall as your brother, you can join the Knight Order."
"Really?"
"Of course!"
"Then starting today, I'm going to eat this much and sleep for a really long time!"
Adrian answered with exaggerated gestures, drawing a large circle with his arms.
"Good. You're promising starting today?"
"Yes! I promise!"
"Sister, I want to be a knight too."
As I linked my pinky with Adrian's in a promise, Noah suddenly chimed in.
"Yes. Noah, you promise too."
"Sister, me too!"
"...Me too."
Before I knew it, I had made promises with Lucy and Dominic as well.
As I spoke with the children, quite some time had passed.
The sky had turned crimson—sunset was approaching.
"Well then, we should be going. Next time I visit, I'll bring wonderful gifts. Until then, you all take care of yourselves, understood?"
"Gifts?!"
"Wow, gifts!"
Our departure was overshadowed by the mention of gifts.
As I felt once more, children were truly children.
"Sister, you have to come next time."
"Of course. You all need to take care of yourselves, eat well, and get along with your friends, alright?"
"Yes!"
Only after our heartfelt farewell with the children could Lian and I finally leave the Orphanage.
Before we completely departed the Village, I brought the carriage to a halt.
I stepped outside and took a moment to gaze upon the Village's landscape.
Having just visited the children, the Village felt strangely familiar—as though I had always lived here.
"Miss?"
Lian dismounted and approached me.
I regarded him for a moment before speaking.
"Lian, how was today?"
"...It was good."
"It was the right choice to meet your siblings, wasn't it?"
"Yes. Thank you, Miss."
Though I hadn't initially intended to meet the children, the outcome was truly wonderful.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org